Many people are surprised by Sathyanarayanan Mudayoor, often known as Uncle Moosa or just Uncle Sir. The first is that he is a Malayali who has lived his whole life among Arunachal Pradesh’s indigenous people. Second, he brings his world with him as he travels from house to hostel in Arunachal’s cities and picturesque villages. Third, he has had a long-term influence on educating and empowering girls and boys through his Lohit Youth Library Network, which promotes both literature and a feeling of community.
Small libraries in outlying areas go far into Arunachal, where rivers and valleys make travel difficult. As a result, the smaller and more widely spread the better.
Books frequently travel home in search of readers, like at the Bamboosa Library in Tezu, where a new facility was just inaugurated. School libraries are another option.
A library offers several opportunities. It allows for bonding, book-reading sessions, and the performance of short plays. It assists young people in discovering themselves and gaining confidence.
Uncle Moosa arrived in Arunachal as a young guy in 1979 to work at one of the Vivekananda Kendra’s schools. In 1998, he decided to expand libraries as a social movement. Donors finance the libraries, and the books are also donated.
The following is an article from Civil Society’s September-October 2016 issue.
Sathyanarayanan Mundayoor arrived in Arunachal Pradesh in 1979, whether it was due to a Malayali infatuation with the Himalayas or simply a young man’s desire to do something unusual and adventurous with his life. It may be said that it was his fate.
He is the cheery inspiration for the Lohit Youth Library Network, which is a particular effort to promote reading and a feeling of community at the same time. He is now 65 years old and known as Uncle Moosa (and occasionally Uncle Sir).
Libraries were present in schools such as those administered by the Vivekananda Kendra, where he worked.
However, in 1998, Uncle Moosa decided to establish them in communities so that they might be lively and effective in ways that went beyond the confines of a school’s curriculum.
Etalin, in the high reaches of the Dibang Valley, was the site of the first community library. The Italian library closed after two years, and the library network expanded in the Lohit area, which has since been divided into three distinct districts. There are presently 13 libraries, some of which are dormant, some of which are operational, and some of which are inactive. Because resources are limited, they are often tiny setups with a limited quantity of books and magazines.
It is not required that they be enormous. The library network is intended to reach out to the villages and towns that dot Arunachal’s meandering and diversified geography. Smaller works better in certain circumstances. Different sections of Arunachal are frequently inaccessible to one another.
The libraries are supported by donations to the Mysore-based Vivekananda Trust. Donors also provide books. The Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC) sent 1,000 books to the Bamboosa Library in Tezu, the district seat of Lohit, when it opened in 2007. It also got novels from America, which is why Roald Dahl is so popular in Arunachal.
LIBRARY FOR LATHAO
A new library has been added to the network in the village of Lathao, in the newly constituted Namsai district. It is cause for celebration, and the inauguration occurs during our stay. Presentations and speeches are followed by lunch.
T. Ete, principal of the Lathao Government Higher Secondary School, has graciously donated a small structure for the library. The library will be managed by Konchiwa Namchoon, a junior teacher. The structure was used to house staff quarters and was scheduled for demolition. It will now contain the library, which previously had just a little area inside the school and was unable to function properly.
I tell people they will have to make the effort to keep the libraries going. They have to take an interest and do the work. I can at best provide advice and support,” he says.
THE JOURNEY
Former pupils he has known for more than three decades already contributed significantly. Some of them are educators. At least one of them runs her school. Uncle Moosa has been a life coach to them since they were students at Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalayas. They have become his extended family throughout the years. The library movement attracts and thrives on such collaboration.
Sathyanarayanan Mundayoor moved to Arunachal Pradesh as a ‘life worker’ for the Vivekananda Kendra, which had established schools to assist tribal children in receiving a quality education and learning Hindi.
The schools were designed to offer Arunachal youngsters a sense of their place in modern India. They would study about the Indian Union, the battle for independence, Indian history, and the contributions of Indian philosophers and political leaders. It was especially critical during the Chinese invasion of 1962, territorial claims made on Arunachal, and military engagements in 1965 and 1972.
The Kendra advertised for ‘life workers’ and teachers willing to live and work in Arunachal. Sathyanarayanan Mundayoor, who was 25 at the time, was immediately intrigued. He knew nothing about Arunachal and was far from the Uncle Moosa of today. Despite this, he was anxious to go.
“I’m not sure if it was because of the fascination my generation of Malayalis had with the Himalayas, or because I wanted to do something completely different.” “However, I felt this was something I wanted to do, so I applied,” he says.
He was employed as an income tax inspector in Bombay at the time.
It was safe work, but it wasn’t his life since he was a man of many parts. He had a bachelor’s degree in science and was pursuing a master’s degree in linguistics. He was a voracious reader who was fluent in Malayalam and English.
He was from Thrissur but had spent his youth moving across Kerala due to his father’s transferrable bank work. Working in the income-tax department provided security, but what he desired was to break free and see the globe.
The young Sathyanarayanan was hired as a ‘life worker’ by the Vivekananda Kendra. He required two years to get his master’s degree in linguistics in Bombay before moving to Arunachal. He progressed from ‘life worker’ to teacher, then to education officer.
Arunachal has witnessed the impact that education can have on a generation. It is a fiercely patriarchal tribal community, yet the females who attended the Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya in Tafragram all went on to do great things. They are now in their late thirties, mainly married with children of their own, but still working and making a living.
THE TORCHBEARER OF THE READING MOVEMENT
According to reports, he worked as an education officer at Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya till 1996. During that time, he organised book exhibitions and, in 2007, set up a library for children as part of the Lohit Youth Library Movement. This library was named the Bamboosa Library. He has established 13 Bamboosa Library in remote areas like Wakro, Anjaw and Chongkham in four decades.
Uncle Moosa’s honest efforts to promote reading culture in Arunachal Pradesh were not overlooked. He was awarded the Arunachal Governor’s Silver Medal for exceptional contributions to youth for his unwavering efforts. He was one of the extraordinary people highlighted in the Times Now TV series ‘Extraordinary Indians’ in 2012. He was also inducted into the ‘Civil Society Hall of Fame’ in 2016. And this was only the beginning of all the accolades he began to receive after that. Uncle Moosa received the coveted Padma Shri award in 2020, the fourth highest civilian honour in India. He was been rewarded with the Dakshina-Ravunni Menon Award in 2022.
